BREAST-FEEDING COUNSELING IN A DIARRHEAL DISEASE HOSPITAL

Lactation counsellors were trained to advise mothers of partially brea st-fed infants who were admitted to hospital because of diarrhoea, so that they could start exclusive breast-feeding during their hospital s tay. Infants (n = 250) up to 12 weeks of age were randomized to interv ention and control groups, Mothers in the intervention group were indi vidually advised by the counsellors while mothers in the control group received only routine group health education, During follow-up at hom e by the counsellors a week later, only the mothers in the interventio n group were counselled. AN the mothers were evaluated for infant feed ing practices at home two weeks after discharge. Among the 125 mother- infant pairs in each group, 60% of mothers in the intervention group w ere breast-feeding exclusively at discharge compared with only 6% in t he control group (P < 0.001); two weeks later, these rates rose to 75% and 8% in the intervention and control groups, respectively (P < 0.00 1). However, 49% of mothers in the control group reverted back to bott le-feeding compared with 12% in the intervention group (P < 0.001), Th us, individual counselling had a positive impact on mothers to start e xclusive breast-feeding during hospitalization and to continue the pra ctice at home. Maternal and child health facilities should include lac tation counselling as an integral part of their programme to improve i nfant feeding practices.